……..Your New York Mets were winning 13 of their last 20 games. While you were worrying about what will happen in July, the Mets have a winning record on the road so far this year going 10-9 and so far on this current road trip they are 3-1.

The Mets pitching staff has posted a team ERA under 3 (2.86) for the month so far, led by a light’s out bullpen that is a baseball best 4-1 with a miniscule .052 ERA.

Frankie Rodriguez has converted his last 11 save opportunities  and Jason Isringhausen has been outstanding as the 8^th inning set up man. With Pedro Beato, the best reliever in the pen before he was injured and Bobby Parnell on the DL, Taylor Buchholz and Ryota Igarashi have stepped up to fill the void. Spaceman Byrdak when allowed by Terry Collins, has been doing his LOOGY thing holding left handed batters to a .231 average.

We know that Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran have been carrying the offense of late (even before hi s injury Ike was slumping a bit) and that D-Wright and J-Bay have been in deep slumps (could last night ignite their bats ?) but look at the records of all the teams in MLB, with the exception of the Phuck Phaces (I’m loving the resurgence of the Tribe but I’m not ready to put them on a level of the Phuck Phaces yet) there is no great team in baseball, hell, the overrated Highlanders are but 4 games over mediocrity.

So instead of obsessing on where to trade Jose Reyes, Calros Beltran and David Wright, maybe you should shut down Twitter for a night and enjoy your NY Mets.  I’m taking the pledge to stay off Twitter during Mets games as I’m starting to see the light that Josh Thole saw, some of you folks make rooting for the Mets a fucking chore. The constant doom and gloom over every at bat is really tiring. Yes D-Wright has not been productive but  I urge you to read this post by James Kannengieser at Amazin’ Ave on Weighted On Base Average (wOBA) postion by position, as tough a season as DW has had he still ranks 3^rd in wOBA  among all 3^rd basemen in MLB.

So instead of going  “you suck “ to “your great”  from one tweet to the next, just sit back and enjoy this team and see how it plays out on the field instead of on Twitter.

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After getting sick and tired of having a co-worker tell me how great the Highlanders are and how bad the Mets are, right before the season I decided to make a bet that the Mets would have a better record than the Highlanders at the seasons end. The winner takes the loser to Katz’s Deli for lunch and the loser has to wear a t-shirt or jersey of the winner’s team. After I shook on this bet, I got a bit queasy, not over the prospect of paying for pastrami and knish but the idea of wearing any type of Highlander clothing makes my skin crawl.

When I told people of this wager, Mets fan and Highlander fan alike, they gave a look like I was a bit off in the head or more off than usual, and believe me I doubt what I did as well, but a glance at the standings this morning,  shows all is not lost:

Highlanders 20-15

Mets  17-20

The next 13 games for the Highlanders are against the Red Sox, Rays, Orioles, Mets and Blue Jays so I’m rooting for a nice 3-10 slide for the Bronx Bastards. I’m feeling Pretttttty, Prettttty, Prettttty good about my wager so far. I may not win the bet but I want to make my wagering  partner sweat a bit.

Speaking of the Highlanders, I bet Pee Wee Cashman has the Mets bullpen over the arsonists he has in his.

If Lucas Duda wasn’t suffering from a back injury he would have been the choice to replace Ike Davis at first base and some are calling for Josh Satin to get make the jump from Bingo to Flushing but Satin is not on the 40 man and with Nick Evans not hitting, it came down to bringing up Fernando “ $10 Co-Pay “ Martinez instead.  Seems Terry Collins will just give F-Mart a spot start here and there and some pinch hitting duty during his hopefully short stay while Ike recuperates from his ankle woes . To me this makes no sense since Jason Bay has done nothing at the plate why not platoon the two in LF until Ike gets back and if Martinez is playing well then leave it be. If Bay doesn’t like this idea, with all due respect, tough shit. Send a message hot bats stay in the line up limp lumber hits the bench.

By the way, why is Chin-ling Hu still here?

Nice right up in the Daily News on Darren Meenan of The 7 Line. I wear my In Dickey We Trust t-shirt proudly

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I got so busy yesterday that I wasn’t able to put up a post and I so wanted to mention the passing of NY Daily News sports cartoonist, Bill Gallo. Everyone who grew up a sports fan in NYC knows of Gallo’s work as a cartoonist and as a boxing writer at the News. Gallo was also a WWII vet and is one more loss of that Greatest Generation. Hopefully the News will run some of his classic cartoons with characters like Yuchie and Gloomy Gus and of course the iconic, Basement Bertha.

I know NYC has the best restaurants, museums, and entertainment and of course there are some of the best medical facilities in the world here, but I have to think that the city of Denver has competent doctors and medical technicians who are proficient in administrating and MRI, so why would the Mets fly Ike Davis back to NYC to have an MRI of his leg? Add in the inclement weather in Denver and that adds to the mystery. By the way, where do the Rockies send their players when they need medical procedure? I doubt it’s to NYC.

So as we await the results of Ike’s MRI, F-Mart is on standby in Denver in case Ike goes to the DL .

Yesterday was not a good day for the Skill Sets, first they learned that Steve Cohen, the man they picked t join them as a part owner, decided he didn’t want in. Could be he didn’t to answer questions by the Commissioner about his being looked at by the SEC for insider trading (an allegation he strongly denies) or Cohen wants full ownership or the right to buy a majority share of the club if or when the Skill Sets have to sell off the club and its assets.

To get great insight on the ownership problems of the Skill Sets and more evidence that there is no other solution for them but to sell the team, SNY, and ballpark, I urge you to listen to my conversation with Howard Megdal of the LoHud Mets Blog and author of a great new book “Taking The Field, A Fans Quest To Run The Team He Loves “(published by Bloomsbury) on THIS CALL TO THE BULLPEN Podcast from yesterday. Also when you check out LoHud Mets blog be sure to click on the Facebook “Like” button for a chance to win a copy of Howard’s book, which details his candidacy for Mets GM. The book details Howard’s ideas for running the Mets on the platform of Logic, Transparency and Logic  as well as intertwining  some great Mets history.  

Second piece of bad news for the Skill Sets was the indictment of former clubhouse man Charlie Samuels on charges of thief of equipment and jerseys that he sold for profit.  Seems Samuels was padding bills to the club and skimming the excess off right into his pockets. The trial should be a doozy as I’m sure Mets players will be called to testify. I hope Jeff Francouer gets a subpoena because I’d sure like to hear about the $50,000 check he had Samuels cash for him to buy his parents a car in cash.

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Tonight at 11PM ET on THIS CALL TO THE BULLPEN Podcast on BlogTalk Radio, Matt Falkenbury of The Daily ‘Stache, will be my guest as we discuss tonight’s Mets-Rockies game as well the status of Jose Reyes keep or trade, D-Wright’s struggles and the State of the Franchise  

If you can’t join us live, you can alwys listen to the podcast right here at Kranepool Society (lower right side bar) or at our show page on Blog Talk Radio or download the show on iTunes.

THIS CALL TO THE BULLPEN is a member of the Seamheads National Podcasting Network    

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The injury bug has bitten the Mets again, and the fan base is ready to go off the deep end. Message to my fellow Mets fans, every team gets injuries; the good ones overcome the losers’ sit and lament. Take a look down I-95 at the Phuck Phaces, those are key injuries and still they have the best record in baseball, oh I’m sorry Mets fans did I hurt your feelings?  I don’t think any fan base in sports cry’s more than Mets fans do when a player gets hurt and unfortunately the manager is starting to fall into the make excuse mode as it pertains to David Wright , if Terry Collins feels that the back and neck problems Wright is experiencing has led to his piss poor plate production, then sit him down, otherwise keep your feelings to yourself.

Very hard to criticize Sandy Alderson for signing Chris Young, it was a gamble that didn’t work out. Same as taking Brad Emaus as a Rule 5 pick. Eamus didn’t work out and he was cut, Young couldn’t stay healthy now he’s gone as well. Pedro Beato was a Rule 5 that works and so far Chris Capuano  a wounded pitcher, who so far is healthy and working out fine.  Shit happens and you deal with it, that’s the Alderson way.

We can’t be shocked about Young, disappointed yes, but not shocked. He had bicep problems earlier and a history of shoulder trouble so every pitch could have been his last.

If Willie Harris is not an ex-Met by lunch time I will be very disappointed. I can’t believe this is the same player who struck fear in Mets fans hearts but he has still kept his reputation as a Mets Killer, but this time as a member of the Mets. The fact that terry Collins said that Harris ran on his own, there by throwing him under the bus, tells you the manager as had enough, let’s see if the GM agrees.

You can add Chin-lung Hu to the cut him list to he may be the worst player the Mets have had since Mike Glavine.

I thought Keith Hernandez was going to jump out of the booth last night after  Josh Thole took a 3-1 pitch and then walked in the 6^th with second and third 2 outs and the pitchers spot on deck.  Mex wigged out that Thole “had two Rib Eye’s “ in scoring position and the pitcher up next would settle for a walk and not battle to drive those Rib-Eyes home.  I’m with Keith here, 3 and 1 with two runners in scoring position and you take the pitch? I’ll give you the rookie mistake and hopefully young Josh learns from that.

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A tip of the BLUE Mets cap to The Mets Police for this pic of the offensive Seinfled cap

Observations from a busy weekend, and a happy belated Mother’s Day to all the mommies out there:

I went to the Mets-Dodgers games Saturday night as we live a in a time where you can go on your computer in the afternoon and buy and download tickets to a ball game that night in the comfort of your own home. I wish the atmosphere at the ball park could be as blissful as purchasing the tickets.

The Mets gave out caps on Saturday sponsored by Seinfeld, now I am a great fan of Jerry Seinfeld, but those caps that were given out were an embarrassment.  My wife told to stop complaining as what were you expecting for free, a New Era cap? No, not at all but they could have spent an extra dollar to make the cap something I’d wear instead of a one that felt and looked like it was made from scrap paper. Then to top it off it was BLACK. Maybe if they went with blue I wouldn’t have been this upset but really that cap was a piece of shit.

We sat in the Pepsi Porch which is my favorite spot of Citi Field but on Saturday, I felt like I was watching the game on the corner of 42 St and Broadway, people getting up during play and then trying to get to seat 17 by going through the first 16 seats of the row in the middle of an inning. I wouldn’t bitch so much if it was once or twice but this went on all game long.  The Mets need to do what the Garden and Prudential Center enforce, keep ushers near the section entrances and hold people up until an at bat is done then let them get back to their seats. And another thing, is it so hard to know where you’re sitting? How many times do you see some clueless asshole holding four beers standing on the steps of the section with a stupid look on his or her face not knowing where they sit? All you have to do is remember three things Section, Row, and seat.  How do these people function in everyday life?

I tried the Keith Burger on Saturday night and I wasn’t impressed at all, in fact in my opinion the only food that’s any good at Citi Field is Mama’s of Corona, Blue Smoke, or Sausage and Peppers hero, the rest of the food, even the highly vaunted Shake Shack, is overrated.

If there is anyone of the Highlander persuasion reading this site (Michael maybe you can explain this phenomenon that I’m about to address and please remember you are excluded from the group I’m about to call out) can you explain why Highlander fans come to Citi Field dressed like they are going to a Highlanders game and root for the Mets opponent of the day? Do you know what kind of dick heads you people are? I can’t even get angry at these morons; I’m just stunned by their stupidity. I go to Highlander Stadium but I never wear my “colors” when I go (unless it’s Mets-Highlanders) I always wear my “civvies” and I just sit and enjoy the game and the company as I couldn’t give two shits if the Highlanders win or lose the game. It’s not like it just of few of these simpletons that come to Mets games, there’s so many that we Mets fans look at each other with that puzzled “what the fuck”? look when they stroll around our park.

Just to closeout my Highlander fan rant, last week Highlander fans were ready to run Derek Jeter out of town. If it were up to Highlander fans, “El Capitan” would be lucky to get a paving stone in Monument Park forget a deserving tribute to his career.  Fans felt that Jeter was done, finished, a detriment to the team. Fuck those 3,000 hits and 5 World Series rings and that first ballot Hall of Fame sitting with his name on it, Jeter has to go. But wait, yesterday he went 4 for 6 with 2 HR’s and 3 RBI, so now he’s back in the pantheon of Highlanders, that is until he goes 0 for his next 15 at bats, then he’s back to a bum.

The more I watch Dillon Gee pitch, the more impressed I am with him.  Gee was called on in an emergency as Chris Young is on the DL with shoulder trouble and what made his start impressive in my eyes was the way he worked out of tough situations. Gee looks on the mound like a guy who knows exactly what he wants to do and tries to translate what’s in his head to his arm and more times than not he succeeds. He may not be an Ace but Gee will be around the big leagues a long time as long as he stays healthy.

Give Sandy Alderson credit for honesty when he says, “After Dillon Gee, there isn’t much left” as far as pitchers to called up to step into the rotation if need be. Just the fact that Pat Misch was recalled made that statement real. Really Pat Misch ? I’m sick of seeing him and Willie Harris as well and while I’m at it throw in Chin-lu Hu too. How in good conscious can Terry Collins send Hu up to pinch hit? I’d use R.A. Dickey or Big Pelf as a PH’er before Hu.

Keith Hernandez shocked me a bit yesterday when he said during David Wright’s at bat in the 9^th inning against Vicente Padillia that Wright’s bat speed looked like a guy late in his career who can’t get around on a fastball. Hernandez was shocked that Wright could not get around on Padilia’s fastball as he was the tying run at the plate. Wright has been bad at the plate so far this season but with RISP he’s been horrendous. It’s time for Terry Collins to drop Wright in the batting order and I guess the only thing stopping that move is Jason Bay not hitting. I’d like to see Collins us a lineup of:

Reyes

Murph

Beltran

Ike/Bay (depending on if it’s a LHP or RHP

Ike/Bay

Wright

Pridie

Thole

Pitcher

On days that Paulino catchers place him 7^th and Pridie 8^th. Hey it’s couldn’t hurt this lineup needs a shakeup.

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The Skill Sets are very tight lipped lately about the state of their finances and that of the whole franchise. They’ve gone from wanting to sell 25 % of the team to now going as high as 49 %. Steve Cohen it seems was approached by the Skill Sets last year prior to the Madoff shit hitting the fan and he turn his back on a mere quarter share of the club as it seems he wants to buy the club outright since he’s worth $8 Billion, I guess he thought he could pursued the Skill Sets to accept one of those billion’s plus a little pocket money for the right to be the sole owner of the NY Mets.

Now that the Skill Sets are holding on for dear life to retain ownership and to stay financially solvent the have upped the ante to 49 % of the club for a mere $200 mil and you get the right to sit on the board and have a vote on finances such as players salaries and contracts.

The fact that the Skill Sets have gone from 25% to 49% that they are looking to sell, leads me to believe that the debt on the club is enormous. If Cohen is the guy who gets to buy in I’m sure he is also getting the right to buy the majority share. This would come as great news to Mets fans except Cohen is being looked at by the Feds as part of an insider trading probe. Cohen has not been charges or accused of any wrongdoing in fact he has stated he would not only help any investigation but he’s pay for any cost needed to look at his hedge fund company.

The final say comes from Bid Selig who will have MLB lawyers do a though search and background check on Cohen. Selig has two causes in this sale, the health of the NY National League franchise and his close personal friendship with Freddy Skill Sets.

Hopefully everything works out with Cohen and he gets to spend his money as a partner and gets some much need money invested in this franchise. When you look at all the problems the Mets have it’s not pitching or hitting that are the fans biggest concern. What the majority of Mets fans worry about is the team not having money to compete on the big stage.

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This matchup used have TV execs salivating, as the baseball teams in the  two biggest television market go head to head in a three game weekend series. The team that abandoned its home for the glitz of Hollyweird against their little half-brother, Sunset Blvd vs. Time Square, Koufax vs. Seaver , Chavez Ravine vs. Ebbets Field Lite,  two of the most valuable franchises in fiefdom of Selig, $2 billion dollars’ worth of baseball teams selling the game on prime time on FOX Game of the Week and ESPN Sunday Night Baseball, Cha-Ching-Cha-Ching-Cha-Ching.  

Oh how the times, they are a changin’ both teams have gone from gold bullion to junk bonds by two owners who have made a total mess of each franchise, the Dodgers owned by a guy from Boston who made his money in the parking garage business, the Mets, a real estate developer . The Mets owner got fucked over by a guy he thought was a great friend but was a no good thief. The Dodger owner fucked over his team by taking the profits and pissing them away. The Dodger owner then accused his wife of fucking her bodyguard and then filed for divorce and the court hearing exposed both the owner and his soon to be ex-wife to be baseballs version of Bonnie and Clyde. The Mets owner went to his brother in law, who is the partner in the team, with concern about that friend of theirs who is investing the team’s money. The brother in law said “Don’t worry” and you’d thing the Mets owner, with Bensonhurst roots would remember the old neighborhood proverb “Don’t worry is doing 10-15 in Sing Sing” alas they were swindled and not only that, they were named in a law suit to recover the ill-gotten gains they received from the Ponzi scheme their friend was running.

So tonight starts a three game series with two teams that no one ever thought would be on the MLB dole, both teams have become welfare teams, the Dodgers so broke, that MLB has taken over control of the operation, the Mets are not to the point of the Dodgers where they can’t pay out paychecks but they are in such bad shape that they may have to trade their 27 year old shortstop instead of paying him a competitive wage.

Both teams need new owners, new blood and most important, a steady cash flow to bring them back to respectability. I could not care less about the Dodgers finding new stewards, in fact part of me is happy as hell they are going through this tough time as its deserved payback for leaving the Boro of Churches. The Mets situation however is no joke, for me and all my fellow Mets fans the current state of the franchise is downright travesty.

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Happy 80th Brithday to the greatest baseball player of all time

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I didn’t watch last night’s game as it was turn to work Bingo at my daughter’s school (you get a credit on your tuition payment every Bingo you work but last night was a bit of a rough crowd. When I first started working these Bingo nights, it just a bunch of blue haired ladies now the crowd is getting younger and rowdier especially when they miss the Jackpot by one number. I don’t have to work it again until July, I may bring a night stick for that one) so I missed The Freak mowing down the Mets but from the tone of stories I’ve read this morning, it was just another night at Citi Field.  A descent starting pitching performance, inability to get a big hit in a big spot and oh yeah, a pitcher coming up with a sore arm.

Chris Capuano tossed ok, a quality start in this modern era I guess.  Ryota Igarashi was very good in an inning and two-thirds of work and Dillon Gee was wasted again for one inning of relief.

Big Plef is the matinee idol on the mound today for the 1:10PM start at Citi Field against LHP Jonathan Sanchez. With Sanchez going for the Giants, Ronnie Paulino gets to receive for Pelfrey and this could be quite the big start of Pelf. He loves throwing to a vet catcher who TELLS him what to throw which cuts down the amount of thinking Pelfrey has to do on the mound and the less he has to think the better Plefrey pitches. A strong start today will save Pelf’s ass from heading to Buffalo and will also give Paulino the job as Big Plef’s personal chauffer.

From what I did see and have heard, there has been a large contingent of SF Giants fans in attendance at Citi Field the last two nights. Back in the mid to late 60’s, a trip by the Giants and Dodgers were a HUGE attraction at Shea and MLB always seemed to schedule them for weekend series to boost the gate (Shea Stadium on a warm July or August Friday night with the Giants or Dodgers in town, was a happening. There would be a ragtime band that would stroll through the Field Level playing between innings, Mrs Payson in her box next to the Mets dugout, Homer the Beagle holding his Let’s Go Mets sign on a stick held in his mouth and of course, Karl Ehrhardt and his many signs. Good times.) I guess a World Series victory makes for new fans.

Well it looks like all the work Pedro Beato has had lately has taken a bit of a toll as he is has a 15 day stop order on his right elbow. Beato threw over 40 pitches in the 14 inning game which is a lot for a guy who was the set up to the set up man, pitching just one inning. From the looks of things it’s just soreness in the elbow and not that serious…………………….I hope

Jason Bay should be back in the lineup today after taking Paternity leave to celebrate his baby boy.

Angel Pagan played 9 innings last night for St. Lonesome hitting a triple and scoring a run in four AB’s. Pagan is eligible to come off the DL on Saturday hopefully replacing Willie Harris on the roster.

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